as the "true conservatives" twist themselves into rhetorical,
Single issue? Illegal immigration, federal power grabs and out-of-control spending are but a few of the issues that Republicans have grossly mishandled.
The Reagan Democrats stayed home or voted populist Dem candidates. Why? Simple, they were tire of being told that it is OK for GOP corporate types to outsource their jobs, hire H-1B replacement workers and tacitly approve illegal immigrants to take away their jobs. When these blue collar types ask what will happen to America if everything is outsourced and the middle class is displaced. GOP response, free trade is innovative and dynamic, but it comes with a price, the middle class laborer must learn to live thru the instability and accept a saw tooth salary pattern and career (i.e begin at a starting salary, work for three years and then be replaced, start all over again in a new field/company and a new starting salary, work three years and get replaced and start the cycle all over again) while the CEO/financiers/free traders enjoy salary increases year after year after year. When the working man lobbies for their interests, they are called protectionists, isolationists and etc, but when the corporations lobby to protect their interests it is called astute business/political practice. The working man basicly did what corporate America has been doing to them in the last twenty years, they became political consumers, and looked after their narrow interests, no different from their corporate employers. Until the GOP comes to grip with the instability caused by free trade, the Dems will use populism to beat the GOP (ironicly by narrow margins) in future elections, over and over and over. Free trade GOP will never give up their policy, because even under Democrat rule, they will get what they want. Higher taxes is not a problem, because the wealthy will simply move it to another low tax/tax free investment, but atleast illegal immigrants will be given amnesty and cheap labor will be available forever in the US for their factories and domestic services.
I agree with you 100%. Those "conservatives" who either flipped their vote or stayed home displayed an all-or-nothing mentality that no one will represent. And in the process of us trying to reason with them, we find out that their feelings are more important than logic and common sense. They have decided that cynicism and apathy will suffice for reasoned thought, yet they still want to be identified as politically conservative. Since when did "abandon all pragmatism" become a right wing commandment?
as the "true conservatives" twist themselves into rhetorical,
Like I said immediately after the election: I dare call it treason.
Carolyn
Please put VANITY in your titles so those of us who don't want to read crap don't click on it.
Png.
Get to the true root causes. It was the failure of GOP politicians to vote conservatively while in office that led to the debacle of Nov '06. I won't vote for Dem-lite, period. Don't like it? Too bad. My vote is not yours to bully or take for granted.
So when do the 100 hours end?
Good post. If ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ Edmund Burke. While I appreciate some of our apprehension in supporting less than perfect conservatives, abstaining from voting is not the way to do it. Obviously, independents broke heavily for the Dems, but I think that the GOP could have done a better job getting out the base. I for one had the option of voting for Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor. He wasn't my favorite ideology, but I voted for him anyway. Why? Because I support everything he's done? Absolutely not. But I supported him (as well as a less than perfectly conservative Republican member of Congress) because I know that the alternative, in this case Phil Angelides, was simply not an option. I also didn't vote for some hopeless independent candidate, either. Fortunately, in my case, both Arnold and our member of Congress won.
I agree. And if you insult these "conservative useful idiots" long and hard enough, maybe they'll go away and get their own candidate like a Ross Perot. That'll show 'em! Keep up the insults, buddy!
I'm simply waiting for the event that will make it clear to 6 of 7 (some will NEVER be reached).
Until then, there isn't much you can do...
"There will be periodic updates to this list."
Good. Cause you failed to address the tragedy of Bush crossing the isle and joining forces with liberals the likes of Ted Kennedy on illegal immigration and purposefully refusing to secure our borders....had he done otherwise, your thread would be for naught.
You're aiming for the wrong target. Conservatives turned out in big numbers and we voted for the Republicans over the socialists. The problem is that we lost a huge number of moderates and RINOs, particularly in the northeast and midwest, who voted for the Democrats.
These aren't true conservatives, these are people in the middle who support us on national security but left over Terri Schiavo and the sense that Bush wasn't doing a good job. Change has to come at the top. Convincing a few troublemakers on this site to reform won't change anything without good leadership for the millions of voters who are receptive to our message but still chose the other side this year.
Ahhhh...more from the Blame Americans First club.
No....it wasn't the lackluster showing that the politicians and party generals gave, it was the stoopid voters!
Yes, we didn't keep our majority because the votes are too stoopid to keep us in power.
Sounds EXACTLY like what the Democrats said when Newt lead the Republican take over of congress.
Excellent analysis, ping me as you update it.
This is a Helluva way to work to remain united much less hospitable towards one another and maintain some decorum ... but FR is an open forum after all. jmo
The election is over, everyone should learn from it and get 'em in '08. However, I also understand some have longer vent times and that the real show has just begun, ie. the 110th. Being from California, I can empathize with them to a degree.
We'll survive the bulk of the outcome of the last electoral debacle as long as cooler heads prevail and the President wields a veto pen.
Go to work already on a winning strategy for 2008 and enough with all the rock lobbing and crying in the milk.
This place is gonna be the pits the next 2 years with this being the theme for some. It's more the charge of being a FReeper to make dems in offices lives hell. The party of the Dems is a target rich environment, need folks be reminded.
Party on.
See ya at Daytona. ;-)